Welcome.
Thank you for taking some time with me to pause,
Breathe and gently return to yourself.
In this 10 minute guided meditation,
We'll be connecting to the body through gentle awareness of physical sensations.
This meditation can be useful for moments of feeling disconnected or numb,
Managing anxiety or chronic pain,
Or to invite a sense of calm and relaxation.
You can do this practice sitting up or lying down,
Whatever position allows you to relax while maintaining enough attention to focus on your body.
Let's settle in and journey together.
Take a moment to reconnect with your breath,
Noticing your inhale and your exhale and witnessing the full cycle of the breath as it moves in and out of your body.
If it feels comfortable,
You can invite your breath to become a little deeper and longer.
Allow your breath to anchor you into the present moment,
Tracking the rise and fall of your chest or belly and settling yourself into the here and now.
If your mind starts to wander,
As it naturally will,
Gently bring your awareness back to the sensations of your breath.
As you settle into this practice,
You might notice sensations in your body.
Wherever possible,
Allow yourself to soften around any physical tension you might be feeling.
There may be some areas that don't soften as easily,
And that's okay.
If it feels comfortable for you,
You can place a hand on that area for a gentle massage or some caring attention,
Or send your breath directly to those areas with the intention of creating some space around them.
When we feel discomfort,
There's a natural desire to distract,
Avoid,
Push away,
Or resist.
Notice what it's like to be in relationship with these sensations.
If any discomfort you feel becomes too overwhelming,
Bring your awareness back to the sensations of your breath.
You might invite yourself to explore other sensations in your body.
You may be aware of hot or cold areas,
Areas of pressure or tingling,
Gentle vibrations or tickling sensations.
With a soft and open awareness,
Feel the sensations just as they are,
Noticing how they change as your awareness rests on them.
It's also okay to notice nothing at all.
If you don't notice much throughout your body,
Bring your awareness back to the sensations of your breath.
If your mind begins to wander again,
You can ask yourself,
What am I noticing in my body right now?
And then ask,
Can I be with this?
As we close this practice,
Take a moment to scan through your entire body.
Notice how your relationship with your body may have shifted through this practice.
You might send gratitude to yourself and your body for carrying you through this practice.
And maybe setting an intention to bring yourself back to this embodied awareness whenever you need.
Take one more slow nourishing breath and invite awareness back to your current time and space.
